House agent locks up single mother and sick child over unpaid rent

A single woman was on Saturday evening locked inside her two-roomed rental house with a sick 20-month-old baby over alleged rent arrears in Njoro sub-county, Nakuru.

Despite her plea to be allowed more time to sell her household and  the agent welded the door closed, leaving her without food or exit to answer to call of nature.

Rhoda Makoha’s other four children were housed by neighbours because they were locked outside their house  as they played.

Njoro OCPD Mohammed Huka, who deployed the area OCS and his officers to break into the house and rescue the woman and the baby.

The single mother she had tried to reach Egernex Commercial agency through Bernard Omumbo but her pleas fell on deaf ears.

The single mother said she owed her landlord Sh10,000 for four months, including July.

She is unable to raise her rent because her business outside Egerton University was adversely affected since March when the first Covid-19 case was reported in the country.

“Business at Egeron trading centre is entirely dependent on students and everything went down when schools and universities were shut down,” she said through the window.

“I have been paying my rent promptly for six years and I was hoping that the agent could consider that before kicking me out,” she said.

Njoro police are now looking for the agent. He said there are lawful procedures that ought to be followed before throwing out tenants.

•